I made this gorgeous pasta last week when I found some pretty beets (red and yellow), yellow squash, and baby kale at the farmers market.
Squash, Beet, and Baby Kale Pasta
Category: Vegetarian
Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms
The farmer’s market near me is in full swing! Gorgeous strawberries, peaches, lettuces, and tons of fresh veggies and honey. Katie loves coming with me to indulge in the flavored honey sticks, fresh bread, and doughnuts. It is my happy place 😉 I spied the last package of these gorgeous squash blossoms, so I got them, of course!
First I took out the staamen (super bitter), then I gently rinsed them with water. They are super delicate, but they also may have some bugs living inside, so clean them. I leave the stem on to help keep them together, but cut them off at the end.
I filled these guys up with herbed goat cheese. You could use cream cheese, ricota, mozzarella, add chopped herbs, or whatever cheese combo you have on hand. I have made these fried in oil and baked in the oven, but I wondered about the possibility of using my air fryer. It worked! I made a simple batter of 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 egg, and some soda water mixed well. I have also used beer before with rice flour, which is also great.
Air Fryer- 400 for 4 minutes. Check and turn over. Cook for about 4 more minutes. The cheese will escape and that is fine. SO GOOD!
I did a bad, bad thing ;)
I learned how to perfect a baked potato… in an air fryer! Potatoes covered in avocado or canola oil covered in course salt. These are good high smoke point oils, which means they can be cooked at high temps without burning. Course sea salt, because potatoes and crunchy salt are besties. Cook at 400 for 40 minutes flipping at the 20 minute mark. Once done, cool for just few, then break open these bad boys for the rest of the party! Tons of butter, cheese, and sour cream. We were not even mad that bacon didn’t show up. Such a show off! No potato skins left behind!
I’m Just a Simple Girl…
There are a lot of foods I love more than anything… pizza, tacos, cheese, an almost rare steak, bread with tons of salty butter; but my favorite is PASTA! There is nothing more comforting. I am not too picky about what kind of pasta. I will eat a plain bowl of pasta with just butter and parm; a trait which I have passed down to my girls. Heck, we will eat it plain out of the pot 😉
Anyways, I had some wilting mushrooms and spinach, and I found about half of a pound of spaghetti in the pantry. I sauteed the mushrooms in olive oil while I cooked the pasta. Right at the end of the pasta cooking, I added the spinach to the mushrooms. Once it wilted, I added in the pasta and mixed them all together with a bit of pasta water and more olive oil. I also added about 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/3 cup Parmesaun cheese. Mix well. Add more pasta water, butter, olive oil, Parmesan cheese as needed.
Feel free to add some shrimp, scallops, or grilled chicken for extra protein.
Easy Ham and Cheese Quiche
I found a random frozen pie crust in the freezer, so I decided to make a yummy quiche, which basically was just for me, because no one else ate it. You could leave out the ham and add in veggies to make this vegetarian. The crust broke on me, but it was still summer yummy! This is was all I ate this weekend 😉
INGREDIENTS
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup whole milk (or half and half)
- 1 1/2 cups diced ham
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or mix it up with what you have)
- 1 deep dish frozen pie crust added in a pie pan
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper.
- Stir in ham and cheeses. Save some cheese for the top 😉
- Pour filling into pie crust, set on a baking sheet and place in oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until set.
Fun Foodie Family 